Naked Rower Saved After 14 Hours Clinging to Capsized Boat in Pacific: ‘Holding on for Dear Life’

A naked Australian rower has been rescued from the Pacific Ocean after holding on to his overturned boat for 14 hours.

Tom Robinson, 24, was rescued by a cruiser on Friday morning after sending out a distress signal just before 9pm local time on Thursday, according to New Zealand Gazette.

Robinson told the outlet that the cabin hatch on his ship was open when “a rogue wave came out of nowhere and turned the ship upside down.”

“I immediately had to swim out of the flooded cabin and climb on top of the hull,” he told the publication.

“I didn’t have my clothes on when the wave hit the boat – I usually row it because it doesn’t rub,” continued Robinson, who is from Brisbane. “So I was sitting in the cabin with no clothes on and then all of a sudden I turned upside down.”

“It was very cold and I tied myself to the boat — and that really helped me because the waves kept crashing against the boat and I was kind of holding on for dear life,” he added to New Zealand Gazette.

Tom Robinson was suffering from sunburn when he was rescued from the water.

Tomrobinsonboats.com

Sailor stranded on uninhabited island for 3 days in ‘good health’ after being rescued by coast guard

According to a British newspaper Time, a French Navy aircraft located the 24-meter rowing boat late Thursday. P&O’s Pacific Explorer, which had 2,000 passengers on a return trip to Auckland, then made a 124-mile detour to rescue Robinson.

After being picked up by a cruise ship, Robinson had to climb a rope ladder hanging from the side of the ship, Time.

“I would like to thank all the staff on board P&O Cruises as they have been very helpful and very friendly,” added Robinson Messenger in a video taken by passenger Rod Pascoe.

Tom Robinson was first noticed by the French Navy.

COSS Nouvelle-Caledonie Facebook

Man, 25, rescued after spending 24 hours floating on partially sunken ship in ocean

“I feel really bad that I had to cut short the cruise, I really do,” he continued. “And it’s a real shame that my life was in danger and I had to put other people’s lives out of the way for them to come to my rescue. I’m not proud of it at all and I’d rather it wasn’t like that.”

According to the publication, the cruise missed two ports of call for the rescue mission.

Robinson — who was suffering from burns and dehydration when he was rescued, per Time – he shared that he was “surprisingly calm and collected” during the ordeal.

Tom Robinson hopes to one day complete his mission.

GoFundMe

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

“I had the greatest faith that help would arrive. You can’t let any doubt creep in because then it becomes a really bad place to live,” he told za Messengeradding, “This morning, after daybreak, I saw a cruiser approaching and knew I was saved.”

According to Time, Robinson was on the last leg of a 15-month voyage across the Pacific when his ship capsized near Vanuatu, a South Pacific nation of roughly 80 islands. His journey began in Peru at the beginning of July 2022.

On Monday, Robinson returned to Brisbane, Australia for the first time in 18 months and was reunited with his parents at the airport, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.

His mom said she was “very glad to be home.”

“Thursday night was a very stressful night for us, but when we got the phone call on Friday morning … and we heard his voice, and he was safe, we were so elated,” she said.

As for what’s next, Robinson said Messenger that he hopes to write a book about his experience, and that maybe “one day” he would try to complete the last leg of his journey, which has been his dream since he was 14 years old.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education